as in skirmish
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
he came home with a black eye from the dustup at the bar
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Recent Examples of dustup
The second half ground almost to a halt with a few minor dustups for fouls and arguments.
—
Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2026
The Braves led 4-2 when the dustup occurred.
—CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
The dustup happened Friday with less than a second left in the game.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 5 Apr. 2026
Auriemma blamed the dustup on Staley not following the proper protocol for a pregame handshake.
—David Brandt, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dustup
Braidon Nourse, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2026
The Braves led 4-2 when the dustup occurred.
—CBS News, 7 Apr. 2026
The dustup happened Friday with less than a second left in the game.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 5 Apr. 2026
Auriemma blamed the dustup on Staley not following the proper protocol for a pregame handshake.
—David Brandt, Chicago Tribune, 4 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for dustup
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dustup
Noun
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Continue reading … — Two arrested as skirmishes erupt outside courthouse after Karmelo Anthony verdict.—
,
FOXNews.com,
12 June 2026
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One of those skirmishes, in fact, involved Childress himself, in 2011 at Kansas Speedway, when the then-65-year-old car owner for an opposing team got into a physical altercation with Busch after an on-track incident.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
This is not the company's first clash with Washington.—
Jodie Cook,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
-
The clash comes as prediction markets push for mainstream legitimacy despite a series of insider trading allegations.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 June 2026
Noun
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After several years as an orphan, Pumphrey died in a South Caroline pine forest on August 16, 1780, in what was one of the bloodiest battles of the Revolutionary War.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
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Aegon was severely injured by Aemond and Vhagar in that battle.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
Noun
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Most baseball fights produce a little shoving, occasional hugging, some dancing and pulled powderpuff punches.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
13 June 2026
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Coming just three days after launch, and after tech leaders and social media influencers showcased Fable’s leap in performance over earlier models, the sudden block has become a larger fight over who decides when an AI system is too powerful for open access.—
Ron Schmelzer,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dustup.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dustup. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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